Self-orienting surgical light panel

Abstract

A lighting system for an operating room wherein machine-controlled light sources are Bluetooth™-enabled to allow them to locate and track the movement of a device worn on the hand or wrist of a surgeon or other operating room personnel. In preferred embodiments, the system described herein will accommodate light source tracking for multiple surgeon-worn devices worn by one or more wearers. The system is capable of toggling between modes of following the wearer's movement and focusing on a single point determined by the wearer, where mode swapping can be controlled by the surgeon from the device itself. The system preferably accommodates the adjustment of multiple characteristics of the light source, such as light intensity, from the hand or wrist device. A periphery ribbon may also be used to control the direction of light sources. Applications of the invention y stretch to other fields such as construction or theater lighting.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present invention claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 370,466, filed Aug. 3, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference, including drawings.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates generally to hospital lighting devices, and more specifically to a lighting system for hands-free lighting control over a surgical site.Description of the Background[0003]Originally, natural sunlight was used as much as possible for surgical lighting. The quality of incandescent lighting was poor and it emitted significant heat. Today, surgical lighting is provided by a light panel with a number of lamps arranged about a focal region, usually a surgical site, each of which may be adjustable to provide unobstructed lighting without shadows. Such lighting may be mounted in the ceiling of the operating room or on floor stands, and if the latter, the mounts commonly include handles to allow man...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The wearable controller in this patent allows for sterilizable use between surgeries and controls the direction of motorized light sources with a tethered system. The controller is hands-free, so the surgeon does not need to remove their hands from the operating site or sterile field to cause spot lighting. The technical effect is that it provides a more efficient and precise means of controlling lighting during surgeries.

Problems solved by technology

The quality of incandescent lighting was poor and it emitted significant heat.

For most operating: rooms, lighting systems that can only be adjusted by physical contact from the surgeon or other operating room personnel is less than ideal from a contamination standpoint.

Most hospitals recommend that fixtures, such as lighting and lighting stands be cleaned at the beginning and end of the surgical day, but these items are not necessarily cleaned between procedures performed on different patients, meaning that bodily fluids from one patient may be transferred to a subsequent patient if the surgeon touches a lighting fixture with his hands during both procedures without intervening sterilization.

However, a lighting system that is not directly controllable by the surgeon also suffers drawbacks in that it is not adaptable to rapid changes in the arrangement of the operating room, such as in the case of an emergency, and may not promptly respond to the surgeon's shifts in movement, or those of other operating room staff, during the course of the procedure, thereby allowing dark spots or shadows to develop, impeding the surgeon's view of the surgical site.

In addition, such a system may not provide the most intensely directed spot lighting on the surgical site as may be needed for highly technical procedures.

However a Mangiardi-type system also suffers from the fact that the surgeon or other operating personnel may be required to handle the controller during a procedure, which may not be practical because the surgeon for whom the light is positioned often has both hands occupied by operating during crucial parts of the procedure where re-direction of light may be required.

Finally, the presence of a stand-alone piece of equipment such as a controller at or near the surgical site may interfere with or inadvertently contact the surgical site, or be lost in the folds of surgical draping or misplaced between procedures, etc.

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